Pakistan says it is ready to play at neutral venues

Lahore, Dec.9 (ANI): The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said that it is ready to host its upcoming series with India, or any other country at neutral venues, given the precarious security situation in Pakistan. The Pakistanis are now planning to take the Asia Cricket Council (ACC) Executive Council meeting in Chennai on December 12 as an opportunity to urge the Indian board to at least play the Test series on schedule at neutral venues like Colombo, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah, the News reports a PCB source as saying. The PCB chairman Ijaz Butt has so far failed to get any response from the Indian board after the Mumbai attacks as the Indian board has also gone silent on the tour, he added. Pakistani cricket authorities are now resigned to the fact that it is going to be difficult to get teams to fulfill commitments to tour Pakistan so they are ready to play all home series in 2009 at neutral venues including against Australia in April, he said. As of now, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) is awaiting for an instruction from the Government for the series. India is due to tour Pakistan from January 4 to play three Tests, five One-day Internationals and a Twenty20 match.(ANI)